


I was an Island

by anaphiel



Series: Kaka-Gai/Iru Experiment [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alcohol Mentions, Because he doesn't like confronting emotion or showing vulnerability, Canon-Typical Violence, Kakashi just wants one real date with Iruka - as Sukea, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, PTSD Kakashi, Pining, Sukea Fic, Undercover Missions, hidden identities
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-12 05:40:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15333009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anaphiel/pseuds/anaphiel
Summary: "This isn't an official mission," Tsunade says. "I'm not hiring a shinobi, I'm hiring a P.I."Kakashi brings his Sukea disguise back upon special request from Tsunade when a suspicious businessman works his way too quickly into Konoha's inner circles for comfort. When not busy with the mission, Kakashi takes advantage of his disguise to satisfy long-held curiosities: he tries to get a date with Umino Iruka.Of course, things don't go as planned and Kakashi isn't as good as hiding things as he sometimes thinks.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a very different kind of fic. Not because of the fic itself, but because of it's companion piece, "You're an Ocean." I'm a fan of both Kakairu and Kakagai, and when I had the idea for this plot, I couldn't decide which ship it would work better for. So then I thought....why not both.
> 
> "[You're an Ocean](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15308229/chapters/35515467)" and "I was an Island" are sort of experimental, then, in that the former is Kakagai, the latter is Kakairu, but they both have the same underlying plot. I thought it would be fun to see how the story changes depending on which ship takes the lead. I anticipate them being similar at first, then diverging more and more as the story goes on. So we'll see where this goes!

Kakashi slinks through Konohagakure's gates, barely remembering to toss a half-hearted wave at the chuunin on duty. His feet feel too heavy, strained under the weight bearing down on his shoulders, and turning toward the Hokage's tower instead of home is hard. Everything about this mission has been hard. Hard in the usual ways, of course—he's sore, bruised, low on chakra. His muscles scream in protest and a steady throbbing has taken residence behind the sharingan.

It was hard in other ways, too, ways that make Kakashi's heart ache, make him wish he could just be numb. These other ways are reserved for the worst sort of missions, the ones where Kakashi returns with blood staining his hands and guilt his soul. The ones where he can't close his eyes without seeing echoes of the things he's done while he was away. He's been out of ANBU for such a short time, but it's already made it so much harder to deal with these kinds of missions, harder to come back from them, because now he knows how things can be better.

Kakashi ignores the building's front door, as always, and clambers up the side of the building instead. From there, it's just a leap to the Hokage's window, and he slips inside without even his customary greeting.

"How many times do I have to tell you to use the door, brat?" Tsunade asks, looking up at Kakashi from between tall piles of paperwork. A muscle jumps in her temple and an empty bottle sits beside her, which Kakashi would normally take as a sign to back off. He's too tired to care, today.

When he doesn't offer up any excuses or apologies, Tsunade's brow furrows. She takes him in, eyes widening at the blood on his uniform, but she doesn't comment on it, instead asking, "How was the mission?"

"Successful," Kakashi says, slipping more fully into the room.

"Well, good," the Godaime says, impatience warring with concern for a place in her expression. "Go get cleaned up. Give me a full report tomorrow; I've got too much going on tonight."

Kakashi nods and turns to leave, but the sound of the door clicking open stops him. In an instant, just that small sound snaps him from home and safe into danger, and his body reacts before his mind can catch up. Not even a second later, and he's facing the door with a kunai in hand, the only think stopping him from throwing it Shizune's shocked expression. She stands in the doorway, one arm loaded with paperwork, her free hand gripping tight to the door's handle. Her wide eyes flick from Kakashi's face to the blade in his hand.

There's a beat, a moment of tension, when everyone just stares at Kakashi, shocked, and Kakashi stares back, then Tsunade slams her hands down on her desk, and the sudden volume of her voice makes Kakashi flinch. "Kakashi!"

He puts the kunai away, back to its hiding place, and holds his hands up in apology. "Sorry, sorry."

It's not the first time a mission-weary jounin has almost lost control in the Hokage's tower, but none of them could remember the last time it had been Kakashi Hatake. Tsunade stands, and the ANBU guarding her flit uneasily in the shadows, ready to step in should the copy nin forget himself again.

Shizune relaxes, but Tsunade doesn't, and neither do the ANBU. Kakashi can no longer see them, but he can feel the tension radiating off them in waves.

"I'm fine," he promises, though he's not sure he is.

"How was the mission, really?" Tsunade asks.

"Complicated," Kakashi says. "Things went wrong, problems had to be fixed."

Tsunade approaches Kakashi slowly. Concern has won out; it's written all over her face as she looks Kakashi up and down. Shizune closes the door behind her; Kakashi tries not to jump at the click of the door closing, but Tsunade doesn't miss the movement. "You need sleep. And probably some time off."

"Really, I'm fine. I just need a minute," Kakashi lies, knowing he needs more than a minute. Lately, it's been getting harder and harder to switch between the home and mission mindsets. Probably because he doesn't have anything to ground him anymore; he'd found a home, and it had fallen apart. Loneliness is destabilizing.

Tsunade nods, but Kakashi's not sure she believes him, especially when she says, "I hope so, because I'm not putting you on any new missions until you've calmed down."

"Maa, Tsunade, don't you think--,"

"I think you should do as I say, brat, so try this: go home. Get some sleep, enjoy having some time off. Pick up a hobby. Go on a date. You've been taking too many missions, lately; work on your life here for a bit."

"I have a hobby," Kakashi protests, wounded.

"Jiraiya-sama's books do not count," Shizune says.

Beneath the mask, Kakashi pouts. Tsunade, omniscient as Kakashi sometimes suspects she is, can tell; she rolls her eyes and shoos Kakashi toward the door. "Get out. Walk-- no rooftops. You seem like you can barely stand upright."

Shizune gives Kakashi a sympathetic smile as he's ushered past, which is more than Kakashi feels he deserves.

"Tsunade, I--,"

"Go. You're lucky I'm even letting you leave; I should commit you to the hospital and make sure you rest."

Kakashi doesn't push his luck after that. He leaves. Instead of going home to rest, though, he visits Obito. He can't not, after returning from a mission like that one. As he stands in front of the monument, waiting for the usual numb sort of catharsis to wash over him, it doesn't come. The night's chill, the fireflies dancing in the damp grass, those bring their own kind of peace, but his thoughts are still too guilty, too loud. Maybe Tsunade's right; he does need a break.

When dusk falls truly to night, Kakashi leaves for home. He loses himself in thought along the way, cataloguing the people he passes more as threats or non-threats than as neighbors, friends, and civilians, so it takes him a moment to register the familiar face that stops in his path.

"Kakashi-san!" the person says with an enthusiastic wave. Kakashi blinks, and they come into sharper focus. 

"Iruka-sensei," Kakashi says, stopping in front of Iruka. He smiles, visible eye scrunching up, and tilts his head to the side. "I would've thought it was past your bedtime."

Iruka raises an eyebrow, unimpressed, but the smile doesn't fall from his face. "Being a teacher doesn't mean I can't have any fun. How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Probably a few more."

Iruka laughs. "Thanks for the warning. How are you? I feel like it's been ages since I've seen you."

Kakashi shrugs, the closest he can come to telling the truth, and Iruka's smile fades a little. "Are you just coming back from a mission?" he asks, as if it wasn't obvious from the blood and dirt staining Kakashi's uniform.

"Mm. I was just on my way home. I need to get out of these clothes."

Iruka blinks, then scratches at the scar on his nose and turns a shade of pink. The tips of Kakashi's ears change color to match it. "Right," Iruka says, awkwardly, then, "Have you heard from Naruto lately?"

Kakashi lets out a breath. "Not since the last letter I passed on to you," he says. Iruka nods and Kakashi, feeling it's his turn to ask a question, says, "How are classes going, sensei?"

The answering smile Kakashi gets makes the awkwardness and the fumbling attempts at small talk worth it. "Good, good! This year's class is…well, they're a bunch of hellions," Iruka says, pulling a surprised laugh out of Kakashi. "They definitely keep me on my toes."

They chat a bit more, the simplicity of the conversation lulling Kakashi into a sense of almost-comfort. He and Iruka have long gotten past whatever hostility or awkwardness arose out of the chuunin exams, and Kakashi likes to think they're well on their way to becoming friends. He thinks they could be, if they spoke more, or ever made it past small talk.

Maybe, the rational voice in Kakashi's mind prods, this is exactly the kind of thing Tsunade meant when she told Kakashi to work on his life here. Kakashi knows that he could do with having a few more friends.

But like always, they run out of things to talk about much too quickly, and end up staring at each other a moment, each hoping the other will come up with something else to say. "Well, I'll…be on my way," Kakashi manages, not noticing the way Iruka deflates, just a little.

Kakashi starts to walk away, half-entertaining the idea of writing up a list of conversation topics and carrying it around on the off chance he'll run into Iruka. Then, Iruka calls after him. "Kakashi!"

Kakashi stops, turns, crooks his head to the side quizzically.

"I'm on my way to get drinks with some friends," Iruka says, scratching his scar again. "You should join me."

Kakashi feels like he should say no. He would normally say no. If this were anyone else, he would say no. But then, he can't bear the thought of going home to an empty apartment tonight, inevitably only nightmares and dark thoughts awaiting him. He performs a quick henge to get the blood off his clothes and changes course, walks alongside Iruka. "I guess I could use a drink."

Iruka's eyebrows shoot up when Kakashi joins him, but his expression quickly shifts into a smile. "Great."

They walk in silence for a bit. Iruka walks on Kakashi's blind side, so it's easy to pretend not to notice when Iruka looks at him, studying his profile. When it stretches on just a little too long, Kakashi turns to look at him, catching him in the act. Iruka's brow is creased with worry, but when Kakashi turns to him, his expression clears. "So," he says conversationally, "Want to hear about the prank one of my students tried to pull today?"

Iruka launches into his story, a very animated, dramatic retelling of what seemed to Kakashi like a fairly straightforward story. He tries not to be charmed by it, and he fails.

"As if I would fall for that! I know all the tricks in the book, and that one's on page one," Iruka says. He catches Kakashi's arm, suddenly, and Kakashi doesn't react, just stops. "This is the place."

Kakashi looks up at the bar, recognizes it as one of the rare shinobi-only bars in Konoha. He's been here, he thinks, a few times. Iruka's hand drops further down Kakashi's arm, stopping at his wrist, and he pulls Kakashi inside.

When they pass through the doors, nodded in by an ex-shinobi bouncer, they're hit by a wave of sound, and Kakashi has to stop to adjust. He remembers, now, why he never came back to this place; it's noisy and crowded and very much a social bar, and he's never been very social.

Iruka stops when Kakashi does, and frowns at the jounin. "Are you okay?" he asks. It feels so natural, the way his hand drops to take Kakashi's.

"Smells a bit in here, doesn't it?" Kakashi asks, instead of answering, and Iruka laughs.

"Like a few too many sweaty shinobi crammed into a tiny bar, yeah," he says, looking around for his friends. He spots them, and tugs Kakashi along with him, dropping his hand as they approach the table. Kakashi tries not to mourn the loss.

"I'm here; I made it," Iruka says to the table. "I dragged Kakashi here with me, hope you don't mind."

Genma salutes; Anko's smile turns predatory. Among the group are other familiar faces-- Izumo, Kotetsu, a few chuunin Kakashi recognizes but couldn't name. These latter few seem surprised that Kakashi Hatake would join their group, but they all slide in the booth to make room for both Iruka and Kakashi.

The evening passes in a pleasant blur. "A drink" turns into "several drinks" with no intention of leaving anytime soon. Kakashi relaxes more and more by the minute; he's not sure what it is about the evening that makes post-mission stress easier to ignore-- the company, the alcohol, or Iruka, leaning more and more into Kakashi the drunker he gets. Or maybe it's Kakashi leaning into Iruka. He's not sure; he's drunk.

"I have classes tomorrow," Iruka says, at one point, when the bar has cleared to half its former capacity. He passes a hand across his face, horrified.

"Boo," Anko says. She's somehow managed to get the heels of her boots resting on the table, despite the limited space in the booth.

"I know, I know. I think I need to call it a night," Iruka says. He pokes Kakashi's side. "I need to get out."

Kakashi doesn't budge, so Iruka pokes him again. "You should get some sleep, too. Aren't you exhausted from your mission?"

"Yeah, something like that," Kakashi says, stretching like a cat before climbing out of the booth, Iruka following. Neither of them catch the intrigued looks Genma and Anko share.

"Go on, get your beauty rest, then," Genma calls. "Kakashi, you should join us next week. This was fun."

Kakashi nods, and then the world starts tilting precariously, so he leans into Iruka for support. Next thing he knows, he's being guided out of the bar and into the street, Iruka laughing softly behind him.

"This is funny," Iruka says slowly, like words are coming just as hard for him as they are for Kakashi. "I've never seen you drunk before."

"I'm not drunk," Kakashi protests, though he's not sure how confident he is in the statement.

"Uh-huh. Prove it."

"How?"

Iruka thinks about it, grabbing Kakashi's arm again when Kakashi starts walking in a crooked line. "Do a complicated jutsu. Do…do a transformation jutsu."

Kakashi makes a face, not that Iruka can see it, with the mask. "That's not complicated. Genin can do that."

Iruka ignores him, and starts snickering. "Do Naruto's sexy jutsu."

Kakashi does his best to seem affronted, brushes Iruka's arm away. "Ah, now I see what you're really after, sensei." Iruka's snickers turn into full-blown laughter.

They eventually reach Kakashi's apartment complex. Kakashi wonders, briefly, why Iruka walked all this way with him, and then he realizes he's being chaperoned. "Maa, sensei, are you herding me?" he asks.

Iruka gives him a vague smile. "Maybe. Do you think you can find the way from here, or should I escort you all the way up to your apartment?"

Kakashi turns red, both at the question and the blatantly flirtatious look on Iruka's face as he asks it, and manages to stammer, "I can find the way."

If Iruka's disappointed, he doesn't show it, just smiles. "I agree with Genma; you should join us again next time we do this. Tonight was fun."

Kakashi nods his agreement. "I take back everything I've ever said about you being no fun, Iruka."

Iruka's eyes widen in surprise and he laughs. "Thanks, I think," he says, then throws a wave over his shoulder and leaves Kakashi alone, thrown off balance by more than just the alcohol. As Kakashi makes his way up to his apartment, he can't help but think how very like a date that was.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter: Sukea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about how long this took! I also have a writing deadline for a novella on the 13th, so expect the next update to take 1-2 weeks as well. The two stories are still mostly overlapping, so you won't find much of a difference between Kakagai/Kakairu yet, but the stories really start diverging in the next chapter!
> 
> Also! If you want to yell at me to write in real time, you should follow me on twitter (@anaphiel_). I am literally always happy to talk about Naruto

In the following days, Kakashi fends off boredom and fits of introspection and lasts almost an entire week before breaking down and asking Tsunade for another mission. The first day of his little involuntary vacation had been almost nice; he'd spent some of the time on errands and the rest lounging and rereading his favorite Icha Icha book. The second day, he'd visited Sakura at the hospital, not that she'd had much free time to spare for him, and competed in another challenge with Gai. By day three, however, the restlessness began to take hold.

By day four, he'd actually begun considering Tsunade's suggestions. He'd pick up a hobby, maybe. Gardening seemed calming. Or maybe he'd do that other thing. Maybe he'd go on a date. It was either that or read Icha Icha for the thousandth time, but why read it when you can live it? Kakashi knows he could get a date easily enough, even though it's been—well. Kakashi's not sure he's _ever_ been on a proper date, really, but that was a personal choice.

The problem with entertaining those kinds of thoughts presents itself quickly, though, when it leads to the realization that when Kakashi imagines himself on a date, there's only ever one face that appears in his daydreams, only one person his subconscious feels comfortable imagining himself with. Kakashi always cuts the daydreams off when they get to this point, makes himself think about gardening instead, because indulging them would be too dangerous, too tempting. He can't date that person. It's too messy, too complicated; their threads are far too tangled, so if Kakashi messes up…he won't think about what that would mean. All he knows is he couldn't afford messing up, and knowing him, that's exactly what would happen. Friendships are hard, relationships are worse and giving Irukamore of Kakashi's heart than he already has might destroy Kakashi, in the end.

The daydreams get harder and harder to stop. They become more vivid, they follow Kakashi into his dreams, then through every waking moment. Thoughts of picking up gardening turn into thoughts of gardening with Iruka. Any other hobby Kakashi considers taking up is just the same. Reading Icha Icha becomes completely out of the question-- rather than just _read,_ his mind won't stop _imagining_ as well, and it's not hard to guess what those imaginings entail.

And so, to save himself from the torture of his own invasive thoughts, Kakashi pops into Tsunade's office on the morning of the sixth day with a halfhearted wave and a greeting of "Yo." Tsunade looks up at Kakashi, raises an eyebrow, then looks over at Shizune and asks, "What day is it?" 

"Tuesday," Shizune answers.

"Hm. You lasted longer than I expected, brat."

"Does that mean you'll give me a mission?" Kakashi asks, stuffing his hands in his pockets and approaching Tsunade's desk. There's significantly less paperwork piled up on it than his last visit, and Kakashi hopes Tsunade's mood is brighter to match.

"I do have something special for you, actually," Tsunade says, the glint in her eye halting Kakashi's approach, sending those hopes sinking.

"Oh?" Kakashi glances at Shizune, sees his same worry reflected on her expression.

"Have you heard of Kato Toyokuni?" Tsunade asks.

"No."

"He's a businessman," Tsunade explains. "He settled in Konoha a few months ago, and since he's been here, he's made lots of friends in high places. I don't like him. I don't _trust_ him. He established himself too quickly, wormed his way too tightly into Konoha's inner circles, and has access to too much sensitive information for me to be comfortable just leaving him be. I need someone to watch him, keep an eye out for anything suspicious. So?"

Kakashi blinked at her, waiting for her to continue. When she didn't, he asked, "Why are you giving this mission to _me_? You have people who specialize in this kind of thing. Ask ANBU, or T &I, or Inoishi--,"

"This isn't an official mission," Tsunade says. "I'm not hiring a shinobi, I'm hiring a P.I. Like I said, Kato has friends in high places…places I don't want to piss off, if I can help it. I want proof that he's up to something before I do anything official, so I'm asking you to do this as a favor to me."

"I'd love to, I really would, but I'm not a P.I.," Kakashi says, rocking back on his heels.

"I know you're not, but Sukea could be."

Kakashi stops his rocking. He hasn't thought about the Sukea thing in ages. "How do you--,"

"I was reading some of the Sandaime's old journals, ran across the name," Tsunade says, smirking now. "He wrote about the whole incident. Thought it was the funniest thing."

Kakashi scratches his eyebrow, not meeting Tsunade's eyes. Or Shizune's, for that matter-- she's looking between the two of them, confused. "Maa, the Sukea thing, that was--,"

"To help your team, I know. But the disguise has already been established, and it's perfect for this job. I don't want any investigation able to be linked back to me."

"You say that like I'd get caught."

"I know you wouldn't. But still."

Kakashi huffs a breath. The mission itself sounds boring, below his paygrade, and completely unlike the missions he's been taking since his team broke up. "Alright, I'll do it. Only because you asked so nicely."

When Kakashi's gone, Shizune turns to Tsunade. "I still think you could've found someone better suited to this mission."

"Of course I could have," Tsunade says, thinking about the look in Kakashi's eyes the other night. She'd seen shinobi close to cracking enough times to be able to see it coming, and Kakashi had been getting closer and closer to that ledge since Team 7 had disbanded. She won't lose him just because he doesn't have anyone else close enough to him to recognize the signs. "Hatake needs a bit of rest, and this should be fun for him."

.

Donning the Sukea disguise again is strange. Kakashi hadn't thought he'd ever need it again, especially considering its initial purpose: keeping Team 7 cohesive. It takes him some time to throw it all together, but by that same afternoon he's ready and transformed. The sooner he gets this mission done, finds some proof of wrongdoing or lack thereof, the sooner he can go back to throwing himself into real missions.

He stands in front of his bathroom mirror, not as Kakashi, but as Sukea. He stares at where the Sharingan should be spinning lazily, at where his scar sits, mostly hidden by makeup, and tries to get used to the new look. Those are the hardest parts to get used to, though the rest is strange, too-- the lack of fabric covering his face, the brown curls flopping down into his eyes, the civilian clothing, loose and light. Eventually, he straightens his shoulders and pushes out of his apartment, off to get his first look at his target. 

.

As it turns out, Kakashi's target is boring. It's easy enough to find Kato's home; everyone seems to know all about him, so all it takes is a few casual questions. Kakashi perches on a rooftop across the street and waits for Kato to come home.

Recognizing him is easy, too, given the descriptions Kakashi got. He looks just like Kakashi expected him to look, bland and pristine, handsome and forgettable. Kato slips inside, oblivious to Kakashi's presence. Once he's home, he stays home, and he doesn't leave again until the following morning. Kakashi keeps his watch all night, reading the nearby chakra signatures, careful to hide his own. No one comes by, no one goes.

Kakashi follows Kato to work the next day, trying to get a feel for the man's routine. He sticks to rooftops and yawns all the way, and, when Kato enters a big, bland building at the edge of the warehouse district, Kakashi settles into a nearby tree to wait.

Kato doesn't move all morning, his chakra signature flaring bright, fixed firmly in an upper corning of the building that must be his office. Kakashi makes a mental note to snoop around some evening, when Kato's not around. It's the most interesting thought Kakashi has all day. Unfortunately for him, he forgot to transfer his book from the pocket of his flak jacket to Sukea's coat, and eventually the lack of stimulation lulls him to sleep.

He wakes sometime in the evening, a dusky pink settled across the rooftops and the leaves of the trees he lodges in. For a moment, he's disoriented, not sure where he is, what he's wearing, why his eye is uncovered. It comes back to him, along with the realization that Kato's no longer in his office. The panic that accompanied this realization settles when Kakashi finds Kato  back at his home, already settled in for the evening. Assuming that's where he'll be for the rest of the night, Kakashi slinks off to get some sleep.

On the walk through the village, Kakashi gets _looks_. He ducks into an alley, checks his reflection in a window pane, worried that his disguise must be slipping. It's not. Makeup's still in place, wig's still firmly atop his head. A creeping concern settling in his gut, he slips back out into the street. The looks continue.

It takes a minute for Kakashi to realize what it is. It's his _face._ It's _Sukea._ It's mystery and allure and a pretty face. These people aren't looking at him because he's Kakashi Hatake, copy-cat nin, master of a thousand jutsus in disguise, but because he's no one, another face in the crowd. He stands a little more confidently, letting himself embrace Sukea.

The paranoia doesn't go away entirely, though, and Kakashi tells himself he'll feel better about his disguise if he tests it out. He seeks out someone who might be able to see through it. 

Iruka was, after all, the last person to really see Kakashi up close and personal, barring Tsunade. If Iruka, sharp, clever Iruka, well versed in seeing through tricks from years of teaching genin, doesn't recognize Kakashi, Kakashi's sure no one will. Kakashi checks the mission room for him first, getting a few suspicious looks from familiar shinobi while there, and heads to the Academy when his search turns out unfruitful.

He finds Iruka en route between the two places. Iruka's walking slowly, balancing a precarious stack of papers, books, and school supplies in his arms. Kakashi hesitates only the barest splinter of a second before approaching, anticipation and the vague reminder of l his dating daydreams swirling through his mind.

"Let me help you," he says as he approaches.

Iruka freezes like a genin caught causing trouble, then relaxes when he sees Kakashi-- or, rather, Sukea. He looks Kakashi down, then up, then down again, and almost loses control of the tall stack in his arms. "Why?" he blurts.

Kakashi attempts a smile that he hopes is surprised, alluring, and reassuring all at once. "You look like you could use it, and it's the least I can do to thank you for your service."

"My service?"

Kakashi nods at Iruka's hitai-ate.

"Oh, right," Iruka says, turning a faint shade of red. He looks Kakashi up and down again. "Alright, sure. Thank you."

"It's no problem," Kakashi says cheerfully, taking half the load out of Iruka's arms. "Happy to help a teacher in distress."

Iruka smiles at him, not a bit of recognition in it, and Kakashi realizes he could get used to this. "How'd you know I'm a teacher?"

"A guess-- this looks like homework," Kakashi says, nodding at the stacks of paper in his hands. "It was a correct guess, then?"

"Yeah, I teach genin over at the Academy. Iruka, by the way. Iruka Umino."

"Sukea."

"Nice to meet you, Sukea," Iruka says. He smiles at Kakashi like he really means it, and Kakashi's heart aches a little. He's struck with the realization that he's past the point of denying he has a crush on the teacher. There's no denying it, and there's no doing anything about it. That is, unless…well, he's not exactly Kakashi right now, is he? Sukea doesn't have any ties to Iruka. Sukea's free to date who he wants, all without consequences.

Kakashi smiles at Iruka, a full, warm smile. "Likewise, sensei."

"You seem familiar," Iruka says, as they start walking, Iruka taking the lead. His face is a bit pink again, and he stares at Kakashi unabashedly while they walk, brows furrowed, trying to place Sukea's face. "Have we met?"

Kakashi keeps his gaze firmly fixed on the path in front of him, attention on his gait, on not slipping into his customary slouch. "I don't think so. I'd remember meeting a hot Academy sensei, believe me."

Kakashi looks at Iruka in time to see Iruka arch an eyebrow, then burst out laughing. "Right, okay. Smooth."

Grinning, Kakashi says, "Oh, I'm just getting started."

"I believe it." Iruka slows to a stop. It takes Kakashi a moment to notice, then he stops as well, realizing they're standing outside the hokage's tower. Still smiling at Kakashi, Iruka says, "Shame I won't get to see more; this is my stop. I can take those back, now."

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asks, holding the papers tighter. "I can help you take these in--,"

"Civilians aren't supposed to come in, really. At least not after hours."

Kakashi sighs and sets his stack on top of Iruka's. "At least let me get the door for you."

"Sure. Thanks again for the help."

"Anytime," Kakashi says, holding the door for Iruka. Iruka hesitates before passing through it, and Kakashi, buoyed by Sukea's anonymity, adds, "I mean it. I hope we run into each other again, Iruka. Maybe next time I can help you with more than just carrying some papers."

Turning a bright red, Iruka stammers out something that's almost a thanks, almost a goodbye, and flees into the building. Kakashi lets the door fall shut behind him, already thinking about their next meeting. He'd ask for his date. Just one date. Maybe a goodnight kiss afterward. Totally innocent, just enough to satisfy Kakashi.

One date. It would be enough. It would have to be. 


End file.
